C. R. Bard, Inc.

Angiomed Gmbh & Co. Medizintechnik Kg

Thomas Kirchhoff

Wolfgang Supper

Walter Gamer

Tarun J Edwin

Guido Koch

Sylvie Lombardi

A flexible covered stent having a stent covered on a first surface by a first layer of biocompatible material and on a second surface by both a second and third layer of biocompatible material, the first and second layers and the first and third layers of biocompatible material being bonded to one another through openings in a wall in the stent. The first layer of biocompatible material is longer than both the second and third layers of biocompatible material such that at least a portion of the second surface of the stent is not covered by either second or third layer, imparting flexibility to the stent.

Covered stent with encapsulated ends

A flexible covered stent includes a stent covered on a first surface by a first layer of biocompatible material and on a second surface by a second layer of biocompatible material, the first and second layers of biocompatible material being bonded to one another through a wall in the stent. The first layer of biocompatible material is longer than the second layer of biocompatible material such that at least a portion of the second surface of the stent is left uncovered, imparting flexibility to the stent. A mid portion of the second surface of the stent can be left uncovered to impart flexibility to the stent similar to that enjoyed by a bare stent.

A portion of a covered stent is encapsulated with ePTFE, so that the unencapsulated portion, which is covered by a single ePTFE covering, imparts an unimpaired flexibility to the stent. One surface of the stent, either the luminal or abluminal surface, is covered by a single continuous layer of ePTFE, while limited regions, preferably near the ends of the stent, of the other surface are also covered by ePTFE. The regions covered by ePTFE on both surfaces become encapsulated when the ePTFE of one layer becomes bonded to second layer. By leaving a middle region of the stent unencapsulated, the stent retains flexibility similar to a bare stent, thereby reducing the loading and deployment forces.

A laser cut stent for transluminal delivery has windows in its cylindrical wall, the windows giving the stent enhanced flexibility during delivery along said lumen. A method of making such a stent involves removing from the wall of a tube enough material to leave the tube wall penetrated in a multiplicity of separate cut lines, in a pattern which permits the tube to expand. The tube is then expanded and then a plurality of tube wall scrap portions are removed from the tube wall between adjacent cut lines, thereby to introduce a plurality of spacings between adjacent stenting zones of the tube wall surface, these remaining after compression of the tube to a configuration to allow it to be advanced along a tortuous bodily lumen. Advantageously, the material of the tube is a shape memory alloy and the tube is for a self-expanding stent.

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Walzbachtal, Germany

Thomas Kirchhoff